Summers Under the Apple Tree
by Capheine
Summary: [AU] A long time ago, Grandfather told me that his friend once stumbled upon a monster's festival in this forest. Now I'm lost... and I don't think the monsters have gone away. A tale of monsters, unforgettable summers and the untouchable man. [KxT]
1. Welcome to the Forest

-- Summers Under the Apple Tree --  
**Prologue: Welcome to the Forest**  
_Saturday, June 18, 2005_

**_Author's notes:_** Welcome to another story! I haven't written in a long time, so it might seem a little rusty to you. No matter, it'll still be enjoyable. Thank you for taking the time to read.

**_Disclaimer_:** This story is based off a short, one-shot manga I read called Hotaru no Mori (Hotaru's Forest). Of course, I tweaked it a little to include more of Natsuki Takaya's Fruits Basket characters.

* * *

The directions to follow had been simple enough. To get to Hiro's summer cottage, all she had to do was walk through the forest, following the path until she reached the village. And she had been confident - or at least confident enough to follow those simple, simple directions.

But then again, Kisa was lost. And she was on her way to being scared.

_Follow the path, Kisa._ That's all that Hiro had told her - no landmarks, no identifiable trees or directions east, west or south. Just follow the path. So what happened when it disappeared? What happened when the dirt path turned into just dirt and even the trees were just randomly scattered in this thing you called a forest?

Kisa scanned the ground for footprints, hoof prints, paw prints, anything that she could follow. But the forest floor was only a mixture of dead leaves and equally dead sticks.

And yes, she was now frightened.

The twitters of friendly forest birds were now the calls of crows and ravens (and perhaps an odd vulture), and while the sky started to darken over her head, Kisa thought that she heard footsteps other than her own crunching against the leaves on the ground. She abruptly stopped her search and let escape a timid, "Hello?"

There was no answer, so she kept her eyes concentrated on the ground. Even in her panicked state of mind, she knew that if she kept heading one direction, then she'd have to reach the edge of the forest sometime. Hopefully sometime sooner than later.

The silence of the woods was broken by the constant crunching of her footsteps, and it terrified Kisa that the birds had ceased their song. A long, slow shiver crawled down her spine; she was certain someone (or something) was following her.

And, as if on cue, there was the sound of more footsteps. Kisa quickened her pace this time, becoming more and more frightened of whatever was bound to attack her. Her thoughts began to race; how long until night would ambush her and she would be forced to sleep, frightened, on the coarse leaves of the cold, hard floor? How long would it take for those mysterious footsteps to find her?

She quickened her pace again.

The footsteps sped up to match her own, and - what was that she saw? - a flash of dark things stalking her from the corner of her eye? The smell of the forest was stifling her now, and she could see in the trees things were moving from branch to branch. Were they squirrels and birds? Were they spiders? Or maybe they were something much more terrifying; some _things_ that would leap from the canopy to latch themselves upon her back and…

She couldn't see anymore, she couldn't see! After a moment of absolute panic, Kisa realized she had her eyes squeezed tightly shut. But her voluntary blindness was something she didn't wish to give up. She didn't want to open her eyes, even if it meant tripping blindly over the dead sticks (or were they hands? Terrible, claw-like, gray hands trying to reach for her ankles?), she refused to let them see. Her shoulder scraped painfully against a branch, and she pulled her eyelids open again.

She was running.

The forest was moving past her at an incredible pace now, and the thought of ever finding the forest path again escaped her. Kisa clutched a hand on her mouth and bit back the urge to cry. While the world was skidding its way back and forth across her vision, every tree looked like one she had just passed. The sound of her stumbling footsteps were matched by the constant _roll_ of the mysterious others, as if there weren't just two or four legs, but _eight_ or maybe_ twenty_. Twenty monstrous tentacles that would crush her in their greasy clutches and never let go.

The skittering footsteps were coming closer now, though she couldn't tell from which direction, and as they became nearer and nearer, she became closer and closer to crying as her heart beat faster and _faster _until…

"Hello."

Kisa fell backwards at the sight of a woman standing in front of her.

Her fall was accentuated by a small yelp, which turned into a cacophony of coughs after she choked on her own scream. Kisa struggled to regain composure, but the relief of finding another person only forced tears from her eyes. She wiped them away shakily, before timidly looking up at the woman.

At that moment, the darkness disappeared from her vision, to be replaced by the familiar green and yellow colours of the forest. The birds were back, and no longer were hands emerging from the fallen leaves to pull her down to Hell. Kisa looked in awe at the lady standing before her; the woman returned her look with a pleasant smile. She was dressed in a regular summer dress with her brown hair swishing by her waist, tied back in playful yellow ribbons. Before even asking for Kisa's name, she offered her hand and asked, "Are you lost?"

Kisa was too dumbstruck to do anything but nod her head. She took the woman's hand and was helped to her feet.

The lady started forward and Kisa silently followed her. Something told her than this woman would be alright to trust.

"I suppose you're heading for the village?" the woman offered. "Many people get lost, so don't be embarrassed. I'll help you get there."

She continued her steady stride, as if she were gliding confidently across the forest floor instead of actually walking. She was almost floating, but the steady _crunch, crunch _of the leaves under her feet told Kisa otherwise. The pleasant noise anchored Kisa to a reality where there were no monsters, no beasts, no twenty-legged creatures after her blood.

Kisa followed the lady's footsteps in silence; what kind of conversation would she offer anyway? She was relieved, but still shaken from her earlier terror. Inside, she was still a twisted and confused mass of nerves, ready to shatter at any moment.

"You must still be scared," the woman said, as if reading her mind. She turned around and began to glide backwards… no _walk _backwards, because the crisp sound of crackling leaves was still present. "The forest isn't anything to be afraid of really. A few harmless creatures here and there, but usually nothing big to eat you or anything." She offered an apologetic smile.

She continued walking backwards, deftly avoiding any of the trees which approached her from behind. She wasn't joking when she said she knew the forest. "It's the shadows," the woman piped up again. "I can see the shadows of the trees, so I know when there's one behind me." At that moment, she backed into a tree branch, bumping her head against its bark. "It's the branches I have trouble with," she said, rubbing her head and turning to face the front again.

Kisa wondered if the woman could read her mind, or was just extremely good with interpreting her expression. Still, she didn't ask any questions or even think of speaking. She _did_ like her though; there was something pleasant about the lady.

The woman looked over her shoulder, and Kisa shrank back a bit at the action. "You don't have to be afraid of me," she said.

"I'm not," Kisa replied. She offered only short answers - her mouth couldn't handle too much talking. Although they were now approaching a sunnier, more open part of the forest, the thought of a slithering, winged creature attacked her mind again. Without a doubt, it would haunt her dreams.

"There are legends about monsters in this forest," the woman said, surprising Kisa with her 'mind-reading' again. "They're from the villagers and tourists mostly. They say they see things. Maybe they're right, maybe they're wrong. Was there anything you saw that was strange?"

Kisa saw this attempt at conversation and wanted to spill the nightmarish images that were still crawling across her vision. She shook her head, 'no' though, and they continued to walk in silence.

"There was another young girl once, she also got lost," the woman started. "She was taking a walk through this forest when she got wandered off accidentally; she couldn't find her way back."

For a moment Kisa was confused before she realized that the woman was telling a story. Her mind settled at the thought of this; it would save her the trouble of conversation with this stranger (albeit a very nice stranger) and take up time. She had no qualms and began to listen to the woman recount her tale.

"She was just like you, I suppose, maybe a little younger - only eight-years-old. And she wandered round and round, becoming more and more scared of what was to become of her if night fell before she could get back to her grandfather's village. She was running very fast, you see, and the faster she ran the more afraid she became.

Her name was Tohru."

* * *

**_Author's notes: _**Yay, prologue!

_Saturday, June 18, 2005_

**Additional note: **As you may notice, I began writing this story nearly a year ago. As such, I can't guarantee its completion because it really depends on the time I have available and my interest. I also haven't been keeping myself up to date with the personalities of the characters (I've only watched the anime… know some things regarding the manga), so this might be a bit outdated… _Monday, May 15, 2005_


	2. These Games We Play

-- Summers Under the Apple Tree --  
**Chapter 01: These Games We Play**  
Sunday, June 19, 2005

**_Author's notes:_** Erm, the first actual chapter. I realize that the prologue was very much like something you would read in a horror story… I'll try and keep that up, but this story is mostly romance. Heh.

**_Disclaimers:_** I think the only reason why I include these is because I've included them for such a long time. The story just doesn't seem balanced without them. Ah well, based off the one-shot manga 'Hotaru no Mori' with characters from 'Fruits Basket'.

* * *

All I had to do was follow the forest path. I told myself this when I set out for my walk; Grandfather had even reminded me before I started my afternoon stroll. I did follow it… for a while at least. Until I saw those flowers… and then that tree… then the squirrel…

It was stupid of me to do this. I always let myself get distracted…

It wasn't dark yet. I guess I have that much time before I have to start worrying. But did the monsters come out even before it's dark?

My grandfather told me that his friend was lost in the forest once. It must've been a very long time ago, because my grandfather's very old, but I don't think that the monsters have gone away. You see, he told me that his friend stumbled upon a festival. It was odd because the festival was smack in the centre of the forest.

I crouched down to tie my shoelace, which had somehow unknotted itself as I wandered. At that moment, I felt a brief wind at my back, as if something had run past me very quickly. I whipped around, and clapped my hands together, arms stretched before me.

Maybe the monsters did come out before dark.

The festival was filled with very odd-looking people, my grandfather told me. They were like people, except with mistakes - maybe bird's feet on one child and two dog-ears on another woman. Monsters, they were. They were monsters pretending to be people, and some hadn't even bothered dressing up. They simply wandered the festival with fox feet and the eyes of a fish.

My breaths became more frequent, and it felt as if I had just run a very long race. My mouth became very dry as I continued my way through the forest. Something wasn't right.

Everything was quiet.

Everything except the sound of my footsteps. The single, crisp sound after every step - to me, it sounded loud enough to shatter mirrors. There was _nothing else_.

My grandfather's friend wasn't scared though. The others thought that he was just another monster human, dressed up and ready for the festival. So he crept his way out, and shared the story with his friends.

I felt another wind at my back and turned around sharply again. For one brief moment, I was staring at two hideously round, golden-yellow eyes, but in a flash they were gone. From a distance, I could hear the sound of something limping, _shambling_ away.

The monsters came out before dark.

I began to run, but I could still feel some sort of wind at my back - as if now there wasn't only something chasing me, but there was some huge-clawed thing swiping at my back. Grabbing for me and wanting to pull me backwards.

I had never thought that the monsters were mean. I had always imagined that, in some ways, they were like humans. They lived in a world of their own, interacting with other monsters. I always believed that they had traits just like humans, and in their own isolated world, they got along with one another just fine.

I stopped my running abruptly and turned to slap my hands together again. This time I felt something between my hands, something furry and warm, but there was a shrill squeak and whatever I held disappeared.

Maybe they played pranks.

A heavy, warm breeze was playing on the back of my neck; it smelled faintly of rotten things. Strangely, the breeze sounded like a very long sigh.

I _really _hoped they played pranks.

But I wasn't going to wait to find out.

I began running again, and I could feel that same strange breeze playing around my back and neck. Whatever it was, it was chasing me. "Please… stop…" I gasped. I couldn't keep running for much longer. "I only want to get back home."

The wind was rushing past my ears now, but a very low, faint chuckle came from behind me. I turned my head around, risking running into a tree and I saw…

Nothing.

Nothing was behind me, chasing me and hoping to grab at my back. I fell to my knees and began panting heavily. Had I been scared of nothing at all?

My breaths slowed until they were nearly a normal pace, but my heart was still racing. I still had no idea where I was; how was I ever going to find my way back to my grandfather's house? I stood again. I wasn't going to get anywhere by just sitting and crying.

Suddenly, I saw a dark figure from the corner of my eye.

I turned my head slowly, not wanting to scare whatever was waiting for me there. But it was gone by the time I was facing that direction. But again, I saw another dark mass looming just out of my sight. I turned my head. Nothing, again.

It was playing a game. I could catch only flashes of the monster before it would disappear once again. A breath on my neck; another glimpse of a menacing figure from the corner of my eye; a single claw poking at my back; all just flashes.

And I realized that it was playing with its food, its prey. It was waiting for that one moment when I refused to keep turning in circles, keep chasing its shadow. Then when I was too tired it would pounce and devour me.

"No, I don't want to play!" I cried. I just wanted to get back home.

Large tears were rolling down my face, as I turned around helplessly in the same spot, trying to catch whatever was taunting me.

I didn't want to play this game. Not on such a beautiful afternoon. Not when it was my first summer vacationing with my grandfather. Not when I was only eight-years-old.

Something prodded at my back and I turned, my face full of tears, to see the chest of a man standing in front of me. I stared stiffly at his chest for a moment, before realizing that the prodding and taunting had stopped, and a bush from very far away seemed to let go a long, disappointed sigh.

"No more games," the man announced to the bush. His voice was young, nothing elderly, but far older than the age that I was.

I strained my neck upwards to gain a look at his face, but whatever features he had were covered by a ceramic mask of a cat. There were no eyeholes; it was a wonder that the young man could see at all, but I suspected that he probably wasn't any ordinary man.

I was beyond relieved. I held out my arms and tried to wrap them around the boy, but he bopped me sharply with a thick branch he carried in his hand. Again, I tried in vain to embrace him, but he only tapped me sharply again - this time on my hand. And every time I tried to hug him, every time I tried to express my gratitude, he would only move farther away, rapping me with the stick he carried. "Stupid child," he growled. "If you touch me I'll disappear. How will you get home then?"

I stopped in my tracks; I felt warm tears travelling down my face again. Home. "You know how to get me home?" I asked.

The young man said nothing, and held his arms up defensively, as if expecting another attempt of embrace from me. He seemed awkward suddenly, as if my crying made him feel uncomfortable. At that moment, he began to walk away.

"Wait!" I cried. He was leaving me?

"Follow me, kid," he called back. quickly gliding his way through the forest.

I ran to catch up to where he was, and dropped my arms to my sides. Keeping a safe distance away from him, I followed his quick footsteps. He darted between the trees and flew past the leaves, though, oddly enough, his speed didn't affect the way the leaves moved or the tree branches bent. In fact, I was certain that he passed straight through a few of the branches that I tried so hard to avoid.

I was covered in scrapes and scratches and he showed no signs of stopping. "Wait!" I called out, louder than I needed to.

He stopped abruptly and turned, "What is it? You want to get home, don't you?"

I took this time to catch my breath and rested my head against an oak tree. He looked at me with exasperation and impatiently twirled the bopping stick between his fingers. "Wait here," he said.

I looked up and he had disappeared. "But!" But I was speaking to no one. I turned around again, only to fruitlessly find no one. So I was alone again. So he had just left me, without any explanation.

"Where are you?" I cried. The panic began to build in my chest again, clawing its way up my throat where it squeezed painfully. I was so close to home. I was so certain that I would be able to get back home.

A daunting, dark figure appeared, squatting a distance away in the trees before me. I heard a familiar low chuckle.

"I'm back," said a voice from behind me.

I turned quickly, in fear, but it was only the masked boy; he was carrying a cupped leaf. I whipped my head back to the trees behind me, but the other dark figure had disappeared.

"Don't mind her," the boy said. "She just likes to play tricks on the people who pass through this forest."

I gingerly took the shallow leaf from him. It held clear water, and seemed safe enough to drink. After taking a sip, I asked him, "She? So, I'm not imagining things?"

"Stupid kid," he said, tapping me on the head with the stick again. "Seeing is believing, isn't it?"

I finished the rest of the water in the leaf and squinted at the young man before me. The cat mask still covered most of his features, but I could see untamable orange tufts of hair sticking out from beneath it. I tucked my own brown hair behind my ears, before realizing that the ribbons I had tied so carefully had shaken themselves loose.

"My ribbons!" I cried.

"You can't worry about them now," he said, starting on his way again. "You probably lost them while you were running from her." He threw his thumb over his shoulder, gesturing past me. I turned and saw the dark figure with luminous, yellow eyes following us, though keeping a safe distance away. The same low chuckle emerged, and it hid unsuccessfully behind a small bush. I heard the bush whisper, "_You're no fun_."

_He must know a lot about this forest,_ I thought, but I didn't know why. I was certain that he was no ordinary man, but what sort of man would know so much about the forest, and be so comfortable with whatever… creatures… were roaming in its enormity?

"I didn't mean to get lost," I said.

"Is that supposed to be an apology?" he asked, snorting a little, but continuing with his walk. He was still moving easily past the branches, back straight, but a little slouched at the same time, like a man with invisible wings.

"Y-yes," I said. "I was just following the path and then I just wandered off. I'm sorry."

He snorted again, and shrugged his shoulders this time. "People get lost in this forest. It's a wonder that you survived long enough for me to find you."

I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or serious, but I smiled and laughed anyway. A little humour always made the situation look better. I walked a little faster, and, this time, I found I could keep by his side. He inched away uneasily, and I remembered what he had said earlier. "Is it true that if I touch you, you'll disappear?" I asked.

He nodded, but offered no further explanation. I didn't ask, because I didn't want to pry.

The walk was uneventful and silent. I continued to walk beside him, taking the occasional glance at the man that towered over my eight-year-old frame. Somewhere along the way, I began to skip. I was happy to forget about my experience with the yellow-eyed beast, and the afternoon was too beautiful to not frolic. It never crossed my mind that this young man wouldn't lead me home; he was just someone I could naturally trust.

I was skipping along happily when suddenly a tree branch shot out and grabbed me around my waist. It lifted me from the ground and the young man stopped in mid-stride, turning towards the tree that held me in its grasp.

The small twigs around my waist squeezed gently, as if they were fingers of some vegetative beast. "Human child, you mustn't touch him," a weedy, whispery voice told me. I tilted my head upward, trying to figure out where it came from. "He's very special. If you touch him, we will be very sad."

"You can let her go," the young man said, in a considerably more polite tone than that which he used to talk to me. "I've already told her."

"You must be very careful," the tree continued to lecture. Its branches gently rolled me upon my stomach to face the young man below me. "He is very special. We love him very much."

The gentle beast let me down that time, placing me a few feet away from the masked man. "You must be very careful, human child," it said again, before straightening itself and turning into just another tree.

The young man began to walk again, in silence, and I followed him once more. I opened my mouth to ask him a question, but thought better of it and remained quiet.

"A tree spirit," he said, anticipating my question anyway. "The forest knows me as well as I know it."

I bit my lower lip and continued walking beside him. It wasn't that I was frightened or worried, just a little curious. "If you have a question, you might as well ask it," he said. Under his mask, I couldn't tell if he was smiling or not.

"Who are you?" It was the one question I really wanted to know. I blushed after asking it, wondering why I had put it in such demanding words. "I mean, why are you here and how do you know the forest so well… sir?" The more I said, the ruder I sounded.

"You're too young, you wouldn't understand half of what I tell you," the masked man replied. He shifted away from me once again, choosing to walk a foot further from me than before. I didn't make a move to close the gap.

"I'm sorry," I offered. After all, I must have done something wrong to make him feel so uncomfortable.

"Stop apologizing. You can't change the fact that you're human and the fact that I'm-"

"Not?"

He nodded again, turning his head a little towards me and tilting it as if observing me. I straightened my back a little and stopped bouncing so much. I wanted to apologize for interrupting his sentence, but I was afraid that he would chastise me again.

"You're thinking about saying sorry, aren't you?" he asked. This time, I could hear the smile under his ceramic mask.

I gulped and laughed a little too. Could he read me that easily?

Suddenly I felt my feet slip from under my legs and in a moment I was on my back, staring up into the canopy. I had tripped. "Get up," the young man said, offering to me the stick he carried in his hand.

I waved his stick away, and bowed in apology before getting up again. I didn't want to accept his help for something I had done so stupidly. He chastised, "Stupid child, tripping over something that wasn't even there."

I nodded and blushed, "I'm-"

"Sorry? You can only be sincere so many times. Then an apology only becomes a formality."

I looked at him, puzzled, before continuing in his footsteps. What did he mean by that? He faced me and read my confused expression, "Che, what I mean is that, after a while, you don't mean it anymore. Saying sorry just gets to be something to fill up space when you don't have anything smart to say."

I blushed again. It was true. "Not that I think you don't have anything smart to say," he continued, stumbling over his own explanation. "But you have to stop apologizing so much."

I chewed the inside of my mouth. "When I say sorry, I mean it," I insisted.

His cat mask turned to stare at me; its slitty eyes and straight mouth offered no hint of the expression of the man underneath. "You're a real strange kid then."

We continued to walk. The afternoon sun was still in the sky, and in this magical sort of forest it showed no hint of ever setting. It was weird, how comfortable I could be with this stranger. And weirder yet how this stranger probably wasn't even human. Or definitely wasn't human.

He didn't like to talk, and instead chose to twirl the stick he carried between his fingers. I was tempted, at times, to pull a thin twig from a tree we were walking past and try this out myself, but I remembered my small experience with the tree spirit and kept my hands to myself.

Eventually, the forest before us began to lighten and I could see what were the large, flat stones of the stairs that led down to my grandfather's village. The masked man had gotten me home.

I raced ahead and began skipping down the steps to the village, eager to reach my grandfather's home. On the third step down, I stopped and looked back. The young man was watching me from the head of the stairs, his arms crossed and still twirling the branch between his fingers.

I bowed politely. "Thank you for getting me back home," I said.

The cat's mask bowed slightly and he turned to walk away.

"My name is Honda Tohru!" I called, bowing again. "It was very nice to meet you! I'll come back and visit you tomorrow, if you want."

He turned back and stared for a few moments. I half-expected him to say something, perhaps his name, but he offered nothing. Embarrassed, I rushed my way down the steps, nearly tripping on my way down.

I had reached the last stair when: "My name is Sohma Kyou!" he called.

Sohma Kyou.

I turned around to bow again, but by then he was gone. Nevertheless, I tilted my body towards the forest and a breeze blew to bend the trees, as if they were bowing to me as well.

"I'll see you tomorrow Kyou," I said to myself, bowing again and again.

I could hear the town bell faintly sounding in the breeze. With a final gaze into the canopy of the trees, I skipped my way home.

From far away, Kyou watched, content.

* * *

**_Author's notes:_** Whee! I had fun writing that chapter and finding ways to incorporate monsters and whatnot. I hope that you're imagining the same kind of setting that I am. Just think of Spirited Away and the scenery surrounding the abandoned amusement park and you'll understand where this forest is.

Thank you for reading! Reviews are very much appreciated!

Sunday, June 19, 2005


	3. What It Is

-- Summers Under the Apple Tree --  
**Chapter 02: What It Is**  
Sunday, June 26, 2005

**_Author's notes:_** A break from exams and then I'm writing again! I don't know whether to post this story once I'm done writing or just… post it as I write. I've discovered it's not very successful when I update it as I write. But whatever, I'll just start writing and decide later.

**_Disclaimers:_** Plot is based on 'Hotaru no Mori' using characters from 'Fruits Basket'.

* * *

The day promised to be beautiful, and I set off early in the morning to meet Kyou in the forest. I had packed a small lunch for myself and Kyou, a little token of thanks for helping me home the day before. I hadn't cooked anything; my grandparents wouldn't let me near a stove or knives, but I had been able to make jam sandwiches and fruit.

Climbing the stone steps that led to the thicket of trees, I realized that I didn't know where to meet him or how to find him. But that didn't turn out to be a problem, as I recognized a tuft of orange hair sprouting from behind a shrub.

"Kyou?" I called out, and wandered over to the bush.

He was sitting, his back against the hedge's cushy wall of leaves. "Took you long enough," he said, moving over slightly and offering me a seat on the ground beside him.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't think that you would be here so early and I know that I didn't tell you for a time to come so I just sort of…" I stuttered. He waved my apology away. We sat in silence for a few moments.

"Were you waiting long?" I asked, still feeling sorry that I had not come on time.

"I just stayed here for the night," he said. "I didn't know when to come and I didn't want to make you wait." He shifted awkwardly.

"You didn't have to do that!" I protested. How embarrassing, I made him wait the entire night! And he probably wasn't even that comfortable. "I'll tell you when to come next time! I should have told you when to come!"

"You're only a kid. I couldn't expect you to be that responsible," he interrupted. "Not that I don't think you're not responsible, or that you are responsible. Or that I think that you're not…"

I nodded my head eagerly, agreeing with whatever he said. He looked at me, tilting his head. Through his mask I could feel his eyes scrutinizing me, maybe out of exasperation, maybe out of curiousity. Either way he had stopped his explanation. Kyou looked down and his eyes landed on the package I was carrying in my hands. "What's that?" he asked.

I was confused for a moment, before remembering the lunch. "Oh! I made lunch for both of us to eat, in case we got hungry." I opened the bag slightly, offering him a look at the sandwiches and fruit. He shook his head. "I don't eat," he said bluntly.

I lowered my hands, "Oh." I had forgotten that he wasn't human; it was easy to forget.

"I'm sure it would've been delicious," he offered, sounding slightly sorry for his initial harshness. He stood up, now towering over me. I got up as well, brushing the dirt from my pants. "Where do you want to go?" he asked.

"Where do you usually go?" I questioned back; I didn't want to be a burden.

He shook his head in exasperation. "Honestly, you have to make your own decisions sometime," he said. "Otherwise you'll grow up as part of the scenery."

I tilted my head; I was confused again. Part of the scenery? Was I going to grow up to be a tree?

"I don't mean literally!" he said. "Speak up or else people will end up ignoring you or your opinions!" He suddenly looked uncomfortable, as if just realizing he was in the middle of a lecture. "But fine, if you want to go where I usually go, I'll take you around the forest."

I bit my lower lip and nodded my head. I was sorry to have made him angry and uncomfortable. At the same time, I knew that Kyou probably would have grown more impatient if he knew that I wanted to apologize, so I tried to stop myself from saying sorry. By the time I had processed all of this, he had already started off, leaving me behind with my thoughts. I ran to catch up with him, pushing through the thin branches; the lunch bag was cumbersome now, and continued to hit my legs, preventing me from running too fast.

He was moving like the wind again, and I was tempted to ask him what exactly he was, ask him how exactly he moved so fast. But it would've been rude, so I concentrated on following him and wherever he was taking me.

There didn't seem to be any monsters in the forest today. Whatever beast had been following us yesterday had either been scared away, or wasn't going to bother chasing this small morsel of human child - namely, me. I was thinking about this when I ran into a tree branch, something I thought I could walk under, but I had evidently underestimated my height.

Kyou stopped in his tracks as well, and turned back. "Are you hurt?" he asked. His expressionless cat mask stared at me, and once again I tried to determine if his tone was callous or caring.

"I'm fine," I said, rubbing the sore spot on my forehead. Summoning up my courage, I asked, "Could you walk a little slower? I can't keep up when you walk so fast."

He shrugged his shoulders. "All you had to do was ask," he said, as if to no one in particular.

I smiled and took this as his sort of apology. Maybe getting to know who he was wasn't going to be so hard after all.

We walked further into the forest, and I began to learn more things about the woods - and about Kyou. He showed me a very small lake, a place untouched by other humans. The water was clearer than normal, and I could see the shadows of fish darting beneath the surface. Try as I might, I couldn't see any actual fish, but I realized that this lake, like Kyou and the rest of this forest, probably wasn't as natural as I thought it was. We sat at its banks and talked for a while.

I asked him questions about how and where he lived, though he avoided them all. Mostly, we talked about me. He was very curious about my 'outside world'.

"So you've never seen a human girl before?" I asked.

He shook his head 'no' and I wanted to laugh. I wondered if he was playing a joke on me, but it didn't seem like something Kyou would do. "Tell me more about your parents," he chided, his cat mask tilted towards me.

Even without his expression, I could finally tell that he was interested. I wasn't asking Kyou personal questions, but I learned a lot about him from just talking - about the way he thought and what he wanted. I learned that, for Kyou, things were a little bit backwards. When he cared, he tried to act like he didn't care. Being interested meant being uninterested. I discovered he was as bad as me when it came to asking questions, except that his questions would come out as awkward demands rather than the stuttering attempts that I made.

"My father passed away when he got sick," I told him. "But he was a really great dad. I miss him a lot." I stopped then, remembering the smell of my father's coat when he came home. "My mom's the smartest, most wonderful person in the world. She takes care of me when I'm sick and makes sure that I know how to take care of myself. I love her very much."

Kyou turned away at that moment and lay down on the grassy bank. I followed suit, thinking for just a moment that I may have struck a chord; but the thought came to pass. I wondered what he was thinking, but his expressionless mask gave away nothing.

We lay there, soaking up the sun and listening to the gentle lapping of the water against the bank. The sun was high, and I guessed it would have been sometime near noon. Kneeling and balancing the brown bag on my legs, I gently removed its contents; the fruit was slightly bruised and the sandwiches mashed, but for the most part they were still okay.

I realized the Kyou didn't eat, but I was hungry. Would it be rude for me to eat? I looked at Kyou. He didn't seem to realize what I was doing, or maybe he was just pretending. I unwrapped a single sandwich and began to eat quietly. Kyou remained lying down, and tucked his hands behind his head.

I tried to eat quickly, but I began to daydream again. I thought of the invisible fish in the magical lake, of the monster that I had encountered yesterday. I thought of my new friend Kyou, who, to me, was more human that anything. I still couldn't imagine that he was anything similar to a monster. To me, Kyou was an ordinary young man with a mask, and man who could enjoy a sandwich with me, instead of lying down and pretending to sleep. He was an ordinary man who I should have been able to touch.

I finished my sandwich and set my thoughts straight. I was only eight, but that didn't mean that I was stupid (a little confused perhaps…). He had told me not to touch him, and I had to respect that.

Kyou propped himself up on his elbows and asked, "Finished?"

I nodded my head and began to pack up his portion of the lunch. "Wait," he said, as he picked up an apple I was about to put away. "I'll eat this."

He lifted his mask slightly, resting it on the bridge of his nose so that his mouth showed; I was expecting something different, monstrous, underneath, but it looked human enough. I watched in wonder as he actually brought the fruit to his lips and bit. I imagined that if he tried to eat it would pass right through him, like a ghost, but to my amazement he was able to chew and swallow. "I can't taste anything," Kyou explained, "and I don't need the food, so I don't bother eating. But this apple seemed to be… and I didn't want to…"

I understood what he was trying to say and left him to his munching. He held the apple awkwardly, as if he had forgotten how to eat one. In fact, he nearly ate right through the core before realizing his mistake.

But I was happy.

The day wore on and Kyou continued to lead me through the forest. We never seemed to pass the same trees, but Kyou knew his way around. I was tiring, but he convinced me into going further; there was something special he wanted me to see.

He led me to a special grove, filled with giants. Giant _trees_, really, but giants nonetheless. They were huge trees with canopies so thick that the sun's rays didn't stand a chance. I loved it.

The roots formed perfect mountains to climb and intricate bridges and tunnels to explore. Kyou leaned patiently against the trunk of one tree and watched me from afar as I enjoyed myself. No matter how far I wandered, he always seemed to be near enough, watching me and making sure that I remained unhurt.

The feeling of the trees' bark under my hands was surreal. They were weathered and soft, moss-covered, but at the same time tough from old age. If I placed my hands in one place for long enough, I could imagine feeling the heart of the tree, beating and sending tendrils of energy through its branches.

I sat down, resting comfortably on a root. Kyou crept on another, thinner root towards me, like a tight-rope walker, but with his hands comfortably at his sides. He reached me without stumbling once, something I had expected anyway. He was special in that way.

"How do you do that?" I asked.

"Do what?" he asked back.

"You balance so easily on the roots," I replied.

Kyou took a seat across from me, a safe distance away, but close enough to talk. "It's just something I can do," he said simply.

I wanted to know more. I wanted to know more about Kyou, more about the life he lived and more about who he was. But could I ask? "Kyou, who are you?"

He stared at me blankly for a while (his mask adding to blankness of the expression I imagined). "Are you asking for my name or…" he said.

"No," I said. "I really want to know who you are."

He shook his head and looked away to the left, concentrating on the trunk of a tree a distance away. "I've already told you, you wouldn't understand most of what I say."

I shifted in my position and I saw Kyou freezing, still cautious of how close we were. "You could tell me a little though. I want to know you," I replied. I wanted to know more about this new friend; about a man who wasn't a man. I suppose you would call it a child's curiousity.

He turned his head slightly, to look at another tree, closer to us. "There isn't much to tell." He was still avoiding my question, but this time he seemed distracted.

"Then tell me what there is to tell… please?" I couldn't understand why I was so curious, but I was even more confused about why Kyou wouldn't tell me. Had all my prying finally offended him? Was I making some mistake by asking him in the first place?

He faced me finally. From behind his mask, he said, "I am not human."

I knew that already, but hearing it from him had a larger impact that I would have expected. Like it was the only explanation I needed to answer all my why's and what's and who's. He continued, "My name is Sohma Kyou and I have lived in this forest for as long as I can remember.

"The trees know my name and the wind knows it too. In this forest, there are monsters, who I know and who know me. There are…"

There was a sudden wind and I felt a light poke at the centre of my back. _Monsters_ - like it had been waiting for that moment to come out. I turned around quickly, and Kyou stopped his story, looking to his left at a tree that was closer than the last.

The same soft chuckle came from behind that tree, and I finally understood why Kyou had been staring in that direction for so long. "Children, Kyou, a human child, why are you talking with her?" came a silky voice.

I wanted to close my eyes and willed the voice to go away. Kyou must have seen my expression of fright; he called out, "Kagura, stop scaring the girl and just come out!"

Kagura? The tree trunk sighed and surprisingly, a young woman walked out from behind it, not at all looking like the monster with luminous eyes I imagined her to be.

She was pretty, with dark brown hair and large gray eyes. They held a spattering of gold though, and I could see that she, like Kyou, was not as human as she appeared. "She's just a human child, Kyou. Why have you taken such an interest in her?" she asked, sounding a little hurt, but curious and taunting at the same time. It was amazing that her voice could hold so much emotion. More amazing was the fact that her sweet voice was the same as the low, silky one which had taunted me.

Kyou shrugged and offered no explanation. He stood and beckoned for me; we were going to leave. Kagura's expression changed from sly to put-out, and I had a feeling that Kagura liked Kyou as something more than just an acquaintance.

We walked around and over the roots of the giants, gradually making our way out of the thicket. Kagura followed us, attempting to walk between Kyou and me. Kyou said nothing, and I suppose she was hoping for conversation, because she gave up soon after. She shot a restrained look of contempt at me, and I quickened my pace. "You can't touch him, little girl!" she called. "If you ever touch him, he'll disappear. Then I _will _have to find you and…"

I looked back at that moment, which was a mistake. Kagura, the pretty woman I had known for a little while before, had transformed into something that resembled a gigantic boar. Already she had begun to leave, trotting in the opposite direction, but I could still see her glowing eyes and claws which no other boar possessed. I turned around again, Kyou was already metres ahead of me, and he waited for me to catch up. "Ignore her," he ordered. "She's protective, like everyone else in this forest, it seems."

I remembered the tree spirit's warning, which was now accompanied by a boar's threat. I wondered if I was really a burden to Kyou, instead of a friend; I wondered if I was simply another hazard. Every moment he spent with me was another moment we could accidentally brush against one another, another moment where I could cause him to disappear forever.

"Kyou, do you really want me to be here?" I asked.

He didn't say anything for the longest while, and we walked in silence. I didn't know if this silence was his usual backwards answer, or if he just didn't want to tell me to leave.

"Maybe I should stay at my grandfather's village from now on," I said. If it meant Kyou's safety, it was the right thing to do.

"Stupid kid," he finally said. "If you stayed in your village the entire summer, I'd be bored."

I smiled at his reply, and we continued to walk.

* * *

"I've met Kagura, but are there other monsters in this forest?" I asked. "Do they have names?"

"Of course they have names!" Kyou said. "How else would you know who was who? Monsters have names, just like humans. They belong to families, just like humans. Monsters are like humans, just different."

"I always thought that monsters were there to scare you and eat lost children," I said, apologetically.

He sighed. "Monsters aren't really that bad. Like there are bad people in the world, there are bad monsters. But you can't forget there are good people in the world, so there are good monsters."

"So in some ways, we're kind of alike," I said, happy to learn so much about the world in which Kyou lived.

"Stupid child, we _are_ alike."

I looked at him at that moment, and for once, I knew that he was smiling under his mask.

* * *

We explored the forest many more times after that, with Kyou acting as a guide. I expected to see more monsters during our treks, but really, the only beast I had the pleasure of meeting was Kagura. And even she strayed away eventually, choosing to tease me only occasionally.

The summer was wearing on and eventually, my conversations with Kyou turned into goodbyes. I had enjoyed spending this time with him. I knew that I wanted to see him again next year.

"I'll be going back to school soon. That means I'll have to leave my grandpa's village," I told him one day, as we were sitting around the roots of a giant tree.

"So you won't be coming back?" he asked, though phrasing it more as a statement than a question.

I shook my head. "I'll be coming back. Next summer, I promise. Then you can show me more of the forest and introduce me to more monsters. I like it here." I took a deep breath in, enjoying more precious moments.

He shrugged. "If you're coming back, I guess…"

I stood up and began to walk away. I knew the way back to the village now, after travelling to the grove of giants so often. Kyou didn't stand to accompany me back, but that was okay. I knew he wouldn't follow me back; he didn't need to. This was our goodbye.

It was my very first goodbye. I would miss this place very much, but I knew that I would be returning, and he knew that I'd be returning. As long as I had that, that memory of summer land, I'd have something to wait for and smile about. This was happiness.

And it would take many seasons until I forgot this feeling.

* * *

My school year was filled with new friends, new experiences, but none of them rivaled those of the previous summer. I never shared my stories with another person, though it never occurred to me that they would think of me crazy. No, I never shared because I wanted to protect those memories, those moments with Kyou. I suppose I was being greedy, but I wanted to savour that particular feeling of happiness for myself. Besides, mere words couldn't completely explain the way that world worked - at least in that forest.

The year passed quickly, and soon I found myself on the long car ride to my grandfather's village. I watched in delight as the bumpy road finally opened up to the small valley surrounded by forest; a quaint village was sitting at its centre. Running out of the car I was swept into the arms of my grandfather, and engulfed by the familiar scent of the forest - something I had come to associate with Kyou.

Night fell, but I could hardly sleep. There were too many thoughts in my head about the reality of Kyou - and the possibility of more adventures. Had I made everything up in my head? Was it just another summer dream?

More importantly, would I see him? I didn't know. I was nine now, I was older, and I didn't know if Kyou had been an eight-year-old fantasy friend of mine - or someone much more real.

I woke up the next morning, surprised that I had actually fallen asleep. I suppose my dreams were filled with thoughts of Kyou and adventure anyway, so they didn't differ too greatly from my pre-sleep musings. Hopping out of bed, I hurried into my clothes and through breakfast.

The birds were already chirping and the sun was halfway out by the time I got outside. I ran up the broad, stone steps leading to the forest, anxious to see whatever was left of my eight-year-old fantasy land. Reaching the top, I took some time to catch my breath.

It was still beautiful. It was still lush and green, and more vivid than my daydreams had ever been. Summer land, a place which I loved. I started to run now, not because I was scared of monsters in pursuit, but because I wanted to reach the grove of giants. Surely Kyou would be waiting for me there.

It was surprising and refreshing at the same time to be able to run through the trees again - surprising that I remembered the way to the grove of giants and refreshing to be able to easily navigate my way through the trunks. The forest was everything I remembered and so much more. I was nine now, I was older, but being older hadn't taken away any of the magic.

I finally broke my way into the grove. The trees still towered over me, their roots nature's jungle gym. "Kyou!" I called, startling a few birds, which caused a rustling in the canopy above.

I peered around, eager to say hello. "Kyou!" I called again, this time a little quieter, because I was suddenly aware that there may have been others nearer to me. Silence once again.

My heart was suddenly filled with ice. Maybe I had been mistaken, maybe this wasn't the grove of giants. Or maybe Kyou wasn't waiting for me here.

Or maybe Kyou wasn't waiting.

"Kyou?" The rustling in the canopy had all but disappeared, and the grove fell into silence once more. I didn't remember hearing the forest so quiet since…

I heard footsteps approaching me from behind; I turned around and braced myself for the worst.

But there was Kyou. His mask still on, his hair still orange, and still he balanced on a thin root, slowly walking towards me. I waited until he had set both feet on a thicker root.

We stared at one another in silence for a few moments, until…

"Kyou!" I cried, running towards him, with my arms wide open.

Out came the bopping stick again, drawn from thin air it seemed, and Kyou deftly avoided me, while still giving me a sharp rap on the head. I sat down and rubbed the sore spot, but laughed all the way through.

"Stupid kid," he said, crouching down and offering me the stick as his hand in help. I smiled back, and finally he started laughing as well.

This was happiness.

And it would take many seasons until I forgot this feeling.

* * *

_**Author's notes:** _ Uh… yea. Nothing much to point out. It took me a while to write this chapter, just because.

Tuesday, July 19, 2005


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